April was stress awareness month so I am writing about it in May! You’ve likely heard that it takes 30 days to make a habit. I used the 30 days in April to conduct an experiment that would help me combat life’s little and even some big stressors. Yes, Even a Life and Parent Coach has stress! And though stress is normal, I wanted to deal with it before it made me unhealthy, unhappy, and unbearable.My experiment trialed three techniques that were really very simple. The only hard part was to conjure up enough will power to succeed. I’ve been called… ahem…. “stubborn,” so I used that as a strength and made my experiment a smashing success. The 30 days of April yielded a positive sense of personal control, a more optimistic outlook, and a feeling of calm that made me happier and more pleasant to be around. Here are the three strategies I implemented:

1. Deep Breath at Traffic Lights and 10 minutes before Bedtime: A simple Google search on the benefits of deep breathing will surrender countless articles expounding scores of health and mood benefits. Here are 5 of those benefits in no particular order:

 Gives pause for clear thinking.  Exhalation releases tension and anxiety.  Decreases pain. No wonder moms giving birth are taught breathing exercises!  Increases positive moods by releasing pleasure inducing neuro-chemicals in the brain.  Rhythmic breathing is more effective in reducing toxins from the body than shallow, stressed breathing.I deep-breathed at every red traffic light for an entire month. I told myself that I could create peacefulness. I visualized exhaling difficult angst-producing people and situations. I did this again before bedtime and since I wasn’t driving, I could close my eyes to add a calming beach visual in which warm rays of the sun would empower me. 30 days later, deep breathing comes spontaneously as a quick “go to” strategy to manage feelings of stress. By quickly regrouping, I can problem solve my way to positive outcomes. Not only do I feel more in control, I truly feel healthier. 2. Just say “no!” People will ask us to do all sorts of things. Can you bake 50 cupcakes for an impromptu neighborhood party? Can you volunteer to coach soccer? Would you come to school to decorate for the party, read to the kindergartners, chair the annual fundraiser, etc…? Like many moms, guilt derailed me to say “yes” to countless volunteer roles. I finally figured out that saying “yes” to everyone and everything made me say “no” to my own downtime, family time, and sanity. In April, I learned to limit my volunteer activities to two that brought me joy. Saying “no” to others meant I said “yes” to more time for my family and fun. I’ve finished two books and had time to connect with my old hobby of oil painting. Once again, I felt more in control and powerful to create peace and recharge my spirit.

3. Create boundaries to reduce multitasking: Like anyone, I have segments that make up my day. My work time was bleeding over into family time, personal time, and even chores / errands. My laptop had escaped from the office and became a third wheel where it wasn’t welcome! Were the emails or tweaking PowerPoint presentations really that urgent? No! I told the computer in my office to “stay” and shut the door. I also shut out thoughts about work, stressful people, or stressful situations. This wasn’t easy but with practice I was able to be mindful and focus on the pleasure in everyday activities. It worked! Not only did I bake a perfect spinach and gruyere soufflé, I enjoyed my “me time" and family time without irritating, unnecessary distractions.

Making stress disappear isn’t realistic. Since I don’t want it to swim with me all day long I place it into its own segment of the day. There I deal with it with a targeted plan of action and kick it to the curb!

I want to manage stress. I can manage stress. I will manage stress!

So what do you think? Would these strategies work for you? How do you successfully attack your stress?

About a year ago, I worked with a client whose 9 year old (we’ll call him “Jacob”) was trying to deal with the pressures of being a little league baseball pitcher. Despite the self imposed pressure of throwing more strikes than balls or hits, he had to deal with the periodic setback of a poorly played game. During one particular game, Jacob was slow to respond to a bunt that rolled toward 1st base. After finally retrieving the ball, he dropped it, picked it up again, and then threw it to 2nd base where the batter had swiftly run. Jacob grossly overthrew the ball into the outfield which allowed the batter to come all the way around 3rd base and reach home plate to score a home run. That run broke the tie and resulted in Jacob’s team’s loss of the game.

Anyone who understands baseball knows that scoring a home run on a bunt results from a comedy of errors that can only occur in little league. Jacob wasn’t laughing. He was crushed at his performance and the heckling from his 9 year old opponents.

Jacob’s mom came to me concerned about his ability to “bounce back” from setbacks. Every time Jacob loses, he gets a “funny feeling” in his stomach, frowns incessantly, and worst of all, blames everyone else on the team for their errors without addressing his own.

We got to work on right away on building Jacob’s emotional intelligence skills of resilience and accountability. Many strategies helped him along his way, but one in particular stood out.

We asked Jacob to point his finger as if he was blaming a teammate for the loss of a game. When he pointed his index finger we asked him where his middle, ring, and pinky fingers were pointing. Jacob replied “back at me!”

After that, every time Jacob blamed others (and that was A LOT!) his very dedicated mom and dad firmly yet lovingly reminded him to use the other three fingers pointing back at him to focus on what he could do to be accountable for his own actions.

It worked! Within a month, Jacob and his parents even created actions ideas for the three fingers. They all started with the letter “s” which made them easy to remember.

The middle finger stood for “study and strength”. After losing a game, Jacob was encouraged to study his errors and learn from them. Of course, his parents helped. After that, he would focus on very specific strengths that he brought to each game. Jacob particularly liked to recall the number of strikes he threw with his famous curve ball and that made him happy. With prodding from his parents, he learned to add additional strengths such as “I gave John a pat on the back after he struck out”, and “I hit a line drive when I was up to bat.”

Jacob’s ring finger stood for “slide off.” He liked his mom’s idea of letting a loss or a poorly played game slide off his shoulders. He would literally lean back to act out the thought. By viewing the loss as a temporary event, Jacob could start focusing on the next game. (This thought process is part of a larger approach to learning the important emotional intelligence skill of optimism)

That led to “strategies” which was represented by Jacob’s pinky. Jacob’s dad was particularly helpful in helping him to think through his plays and practice them. They would spend a couple of hours at the baseball field every weekend. Besides improving his game, Jacob enjoyed the time with his dad and the feedback he received.

Jacob and his parents are to be congratulated. They were active participants in the coaching process and worked hard in between sessions to overcome unproductive approaches and implement new ideas in order to achieve success in their goals.

This exercise didn’t just help Jacob improve his game or his mood after a loss; it helped him understand how to be resilient, optimistic and accountable to himself. Research proves that these emotional intelligence skills will serve Jacob well in the problem solving arena for the rest of his life. If he slips back in to the finger pointing blame game and its ensuing negativity, he just has to remember where the other three fingers are pointing.

The title for this post is inspired by Linked-IN’s “BrainInsights”, a group about Brain Development and Positive Parenting. There, a talented group of experts connected todiscuss their strong beliefs regarding the perils of screen time in toddlersand infants.

“Inspire the Genius” and “It’s Cool to be Smart” aremarketing messages of the Vinci Touch Screen Learning System (recommended age 4and under). These messages are designedto target the emotions of parents who then open wallets and recklessly spend$479 for the promise of “genius.”

To Vinci’s credit some of their other products have earnedawards and their website clearly states the following: “The AmericanAcademy of Pediatrics recommends no TV watching before a child reaches the ageof 2.” But Vinci left out some veryimportant sentences.

The full statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics(AAP) reads as follows: The AmericanAcademy of Pediatrics recommends no television or screen media such as computergames, videos, or DVDs for children under 2. For children over age 2, therecommendation is 1 to 2 hours per day for television or any screen media.

Imagine that! Vinci postedonly part of the AAP’s statement because they don’t want potential buyers toknow that their touchpad is on the banned list of “all” screen media forchildren under age two!

It comes as no surprise that the Campaign
for a Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC) has awarded the Vinci Touchpad astheir 2012 TOADY (Toys Oppressive And Destructive to Young Children) otherwiseknown as “the worst toy of the year.” This organization gripes that the Vinci will“virtually lobotomize an infant.”

That allegation is likely made because research tells usthat whether children are in infancy, toddlerhood, or of school age, that an unprecedentedamount of screen time is thwarting healthy brain development. While parents buy computer devices with hopesto make their child smarter they are overlooking other important parts of thebrain growth that require the kind of nurturing that electronics simply cannotaccomplish.

Not only are excessive hours of electronic usage robbingchildren of emotional and social nurturing time through human contact, they arealso poised to cause future damage.

A recent New York
Times article cites numerous researchers warning that too much screen timeactually decreases a child’s attention span, creates an environment wherechildren “find the realities of the world underwhelming and under-stimulating” andmay be a contributing factor to the skyrocketing diagnosis of ADHD. Even childhood obesity has been blamed onchildren plastered in front of televisions for hours on end.

The research is boundless but enough said! There are five suggestions below that parentscan implement immediately to influence healthy brain development in children ofall ages.

Follow the AAPguidelines no matter what it takes!

Stubbornly refuse to let a child under age 2 get near screens of anytype. Strictly limit screen time after age 2.

Replace screen time with play time as frequently as possible.

Hurried lifestyles and adult dependence onscreen time as “entertainment” have robbed children of essential play. In a 10 page report, the AAP states “playis so important to optimal child development that it has been recognized by theUnited Nations High Commission of Human Rights as a right for every child.” Consistent play times with loving caregiversprovide children with the right kind of brain development not just cognitively,but emotionally and socially. Kids can grow bonds and trusting relationshipswith their caregivers. Play allows childrento learn how to interact with real people and real situations. They learn tomanage difficult emotions and learn competencies that will help them when theyface future challenges. For example, withan adult’s help, three year old Johnny learns how to manage when Steven swipeshis toy truck. 18 month old Penny learnshow to clap for herself by following the cues of her caretaker. She’s building her confidence too! The life skills required to successfullynavigate the game of life are born out of play. And playtime is free! It doesn’tcost anything to stack plastic containers from a kitchen cabinet, or dance tomusic in a living room.

Do not use screens asa babysitter!

Do not use screens as ababysitter! Do not use screens as ababysitter! CCFC was right. You might as well “lobotomize” your child! Developing brains need as much quality humancontact as possible.

Be present when your child is using any kind of screendevice.

The prefrontal cortex is thearea of the child’s brain that discerns “good from bad”, “right from wrong”,“risk versus safety” etc. and will not fully develop until the mid 20’s. Thismeans children need adult guidance to help them make sense of conceptsapplicable to their real world. So whilea 5 year old hears a good message about values from the television show “Arthur”,he or she still needs a loving adult to help them apply the concept intoreality.

Consider your grandparents’ ideas.

Generations ago, there were creativesolutions for passing time in a car or an airplane. Coloring and story books created a new and brilliantgeneration in which you, dear reader, are included! Today many parents covet travel time as an“electronics free zone” in which they can learn about “stuff” in their child’sworld. Yes, parents can actually startconversations in which they learn about their child’s thoughts, ideas,opinions, grievances, and joys about millions of possible subjects. Why notcapitalize on this window of opportunity to share your commonalities, debateyour differences, guide your child’s maturity, or simply bond.

So in the end, parents can certainly choose to splurge onthe $479 Vinci touchpad. If used as the only screen resource within therecommendations of the AAP, maybe, just maybe, it might serve a little shortterm value. Used between ages 2 and 4 itends up costing 66 cents a day monetarily. How much will it cost if parentsallow it to become a babysitter?